Stairmaster Stepmill VAM Training Goals

The Stairmaster Stepmill doesn't have as many adjustments as any incline treadmill, so the VAM Chart, below, is quite a bit simpler. The angle of the tread is fixed, so just measuring the height and depth of each step is enough to feed into the calculation for creating the chart.

Stairmaster Stepmill VAM Goal Chart

VAM	200	400	600	800	1000	1200
Steps/Minute	16	33	49	66	82	98
Top 10 Classic/Extreme
Record Qualifier/Extreme
Finish Qualifier/Extreme
Finish Classic
Record Classic
Top 10 Qualifier
Women's Record Classic
Women's Record Qualifier = 900
Women's Record Extreme = 650
< 4000 M Overcompensation Training

For purposes of using the Stepmill in the Elbrus Race Training Program, keep in mind that there is no direct way to correlate mileage on the Stepmill with the plan. Since the depth and height of a step are within an inch of each other, you would have to go approximately 5,280' of vertical gain in order to get 1 mile of horizontal gain. If your weekly goal includes 10 miles of horizontal distance you'd have to get in about 53,000 feet of vertical gain to achieve it. You'll have to do some running, either on a treadmill or outdoors, in order to get in your weekly mileage goals.

Riding the Stepmill

Testing the Qualifier

One of my favorite things to do on a Stepmill is to test an Elbrus Race achievement. The Qualifier is especially easy to test. Once a week get on a Stepmill set to 50 Steps Per Minute and ride it for 2 hours. Here's the stats from that workout:

Time: 120:00

Steps/Minute: 50

Vertical Feet: 4000.00

Miles: 0.85

Average MPH: 0.426

Average Pace: 140:48

Vertical/Hour: 2000.00'

Vertical/Minute: 33.33'

VAM: 609.6

That's a Qualifier well within the cutoff. If you want slightly better specificity then carry a couple of small dumbbells to simulate hauling trekking poles with you, and wear a 10 pound running pack to simulate having extra mittens, jackets, water and food. Monitor your Heart Rate and either work to lower your Heart Rate over the course of a training cycle, or bring up your speed while maintaining the same Heart Rate. Either will do wonders for your performance in the upcoming Elbrus Race.

I feel this is quite easy to recover from, and could be done twice a week as part of the Phase 2 training program, leaving you free to do 2 x 5 mile "runs" at a really low incline to get in your miles.

Testing the Classic

This is a little bit more intense and requires a bigger commitment and expenditure of time and energy so I don't recommend doing this every week. While a measly 33 steps per minute will get your Classic finished under the cutoff, that would be 5 hours on the Stepmill. Set it to 66 steps per minute and you'll be done in 2:30, a much more realistic time for training while maintaining work and family commitments. At that pace you're also training for a Record Classic, which because of the altitude difference will end up being merely Overcompensation Training and possibly a Top Ten Finish.

Time: 150:00
Steps/Minute: 66
Vertical Feet: 6600.00
Miles: 1.41
Average MPH: 0.563
Average Pace: 106:40
Vertical/Hour: 2640.00'
Vertical/Minute: 44.00'
VAM: 804.7

This is realistic, and with a little bit of work you could pull this off once a week. In fact, for the best specificity to the event, do a Qualifier Test on Wednesday, and a Classic Test on Friday. Do nothing on Thursday.

Here's how to get in something like a Phase 3 Training Week:

• Monday: 5 mile low incline run.
• Tuesday: High Rep/Low Weight Strength Training.
• Wednesday: Stepmill Qualifier Test
• Thursday: Rest
• Friday: Stepmill Classic Test
• Saturday: 12 mile low incline run
• Sunday: Rest

Manitou Incline - 2000' vertical in .8 miles - like an outdoor Stepmill

That's a hint of things to come. I'll write more later on Phase 3 protocols with variations for Treadmill and Stepmill Training.